The aim of this study was to examine the effects of
manual/electrical acupuncture treatment on tinnitus in a randomised, single-blinded, placebo-controlled
design. Fifty patients (46 males, 4 females) suffering from tinnitus were investigated. The patients were
randomly assigned to three groups: a manual acupuncture group (MA), an electrical acupuncture group
(EA), and a placebo group (PL). The frequency of tinnitus occurrence, tinnitus intensity, and reduction
of life quality were recorded before treatment (Baseline), after 6 treatments (After-Treatment), and 1
month after the completion of treatment (1-Month-After). Standard audiometric tests were conducted on
each patient at Baseline and After-Treatment. The patients also provided an overall subjective
evaluation of treatment effectiveness at each stage. Eight to ten acupoints were selected at each
treatment by an experienced acupuncturist. Six treatments were performed, each separated by an
interval of 1 week. Analysis of variance and t-tests were used to statistically compare the data.
The frequency of tinnitus occurrence and the tinnitus loudness were significantly decreased
After-Treatment compared with Baseline in the EA group (P<0.009). Life quality was improved
After-Treatment and at 1-Month-After compared with Baseline in both MA and EA groups (P<0.038).
However, no significant differences were detected among the three groups (P>0.079). The audiogram
did not show any significant changes after treatment in either group (P>0.091). The overall
subjective evaluation indicated significant improvements After-Treatment compared with Baseline
in both MA and EA groups (P<0.011). Furthermore, After-Treatment subjective evaluation was
significantly better in the EA group compared with either the MA or PL group (P<0.011).
These results indicate that there is no statistically significant differential effect of manual
or electrical acupuncture on tinnitus treatment efficacy; however, electrical acupuncture does
confer some relative advantages.

Stroke is the third most common cause of death worldwide. Recent findings showed that the severity of
cerebrovascular diseases including ischemic stroke correlates with inflammation mediated responses in the
neural cells. During ischemia, inflammatory mediators including tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) and
nitric oxide are produced by microglia, which play a central role in the pathogenesis of the disease.
Ligusticum chuanxiong (LCX) is a commonly used traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) for empiric treatment
of cerebrovascular and cardiovascular diseases for many centuries. By applying a bioactivity guided
fractionation scheme, two compounds with inhibition on neuroinflammation were isolated from LCX. Using
chromatographic and spectrometric methods, they were identified to be senkyunolide A and Z-ligustilide.
They could inhibit the production of proinflammatory mediators in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-stimulated
murine BV-2 microglial cells and human peripheral blood monocyte derived macrophages. In addition, both
compounds protected Neuro-2a cells from neuroinflammatory toxicity induced by the conditioned culture
media produced by LPS-stimulated BV-2 cells. The underlying mechanisms of action of senkyunolide A were
further delineated. Its inhibitory effects were shown to be independent of the phosphorylation of
mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPK) and translocation of nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB). However,
senkyunolide A could increase the degradation of TNF-α mRNA and reduce its half life by 43%. In
conclusion, bioactivity guided fractionation is an effective way of isolating bioactive compounds from
medicinal herbs. In addition, senkyunolide A and Z-ligustilide isolated from LCX may be considered as
potential complementary drug candidates for treating inflammatory processes associated with
cerebrovascular diseases.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this systematic review was to identify exercise parameters and
the most common outcome measures used in tai chi (TC) research. METHODS: Ovid Medline and PubMed were used
to identify longitudinal studies published from January 2000 to July 2007 written in English with the key
words tai chi, tai ji, tai chi quan, tai ji quan, balance, falls, and falling. Qualifying studies had
subjects aged 60 years or older. RESULTS: In all 19 qualified prospective studies, older vigorous and
likely transitional frail individuals seemed to benefit more from TC than did older frail individuals. The
most commonly used TC parameters were Yang's style, with 12 or fewer forms, durations of 12 weeks or
longer, frequencies of twice a week or more, and session lengths of at least 45 minutes. The most common
outcome measures observed were a combination of 2 to 5 of the following 10 measures (from most to least
common): fear of falling, single-leg stance, posturography, rate of falling, flexibility, walking
velocity, Berg Balance Scale, Timed up and Go, Functional Reach, and ankle and knee joint strength and
range of motion. Improvements were reported in almost all of these measures. CONCLUSIONS: This review
indicates that TC may be an economic and effective exercise program for improving balance and balance
confidence in older adults.

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